South Korea Fines Meta Over $15m For Data Violations

South Korea has fined Meta Platforms $15.67 million for allegedly collecting sensitive user data without consent and sharing it with advertisers. The Personal Information Protection Commission determined Meta obtained information from nearly one million South Korean Facebook users, including details on religion, politics, and sexuality, without securing user agreements. The data was subsequently shared with around 4,000 advertisers.

The commission criticized Meta’s categorization of users based on this sensitive information, noting groups such as North Korean defectors or individuals with specific religious beliefs were targeted. Meta reportedly declined user requests for data access and failed to prevent data leaks affecting approximately ten users. Meta Korea declined to comment on the ruling, which highlights ongoing data privacy concerns in digital advertising.